Wikileaks Newslinks 7-8 December 2011

8 December 2011 WikiLeaks’ favor to diplomacy The Boston Globe A few months ago, I named Ford our first true post-WikiLeaks ambassador. An Arab-speaking career diplomat, Ford impressively embraced the Syrian people as they defied Assad’s brutality. And they loved him for that. While Ford’s presence in Syria is … http://bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2011/12/08/wikileaks-favor-diplomacy/kZDiwPbutSFapenqZfgbkL/story.html

Cellebrite’s Response to WikiLeaks MarketWatch (press release) Cellebrite, the developer and manufacturer of world-leading mobile forensic solutions, has rejected claims in the recent WikiLeaks “Spy Files” exposé that it is among companies that develop and supply equipment to governments and dictators “to spy on … http://www.marketwatch.com/story/cellebrites-response-to-wikileaks-2011-12-07-115000

Ruling on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s extradition likely by Christmas Economic Times LONDON: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is likely to know by December 25 if the Supreme Court will hear his appeal against the recent high court decision to extradite him to Sweden where he faces charges of sexual assault. Assange can lodge his appeal … http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/ruling-on-wikileaks-founder-julian-assanges-extradition-likely-by-christmas/articleshow/11032133.cms

WikiLeaks Exposing “Mass Surveillance Industry” The New American The anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks began releasing documents last week related to what it calls the “mass surveillance industry,” a little-known but expansive underworld of contractors offering tools for governments — from brutal dictatorships to more … http://www.thenewamerican.com/tech-mainmenu-30/computers/10097-wikileaks-exposing-mass-surveillance-industry

Don’t Cry for Julian Assange Wall Street Journal By FLOYD ABRAMS The fall of WikiLeaks has come with startling swiftness. A year ago millions viewed it as a vibrant, swashbuckling, hi-tech, anti-establishment revealer of secrets. Now WikiLeaks has suspended publication, and its founder and publisher, … http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204323904577038293325281030.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Gov’ts Using Cellphone Spyware, Warns WikiLeaks Infopackets The controversial Wikileaks site has published documents that appear to show national governments using malicious software to carry out surveillance. The documents flesh out claims by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that private companies are profiting … http://www.infopackets.com/news/security/2011/20111207_govts_using_cellphone_spyware_warns_wikileaks.htm

Taking a Leak Seven Days By Dan Bolles [12.07.11] Whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks has come under fire from rankled governments around the globe that have taken exception to the site airing their innermost dirty secrets — or, you know, doing major media journalists’ jobs. … http://www.7dvt.com/2011taking-leak

Paypal Can’t Get Out of Its Own Way The Nonprofit Quarterly December 6, 2011; Source: Forbes | On December 4 last year, Paypal was embroiled in a dispute with Wikileaks—withholding donations that had been made to them and basing the withholding on the fact that the state department had declared Wikileaks … http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18131:paypal-cant-get-out-of-its-own-way&catid=155:nonprofit-newswire&Itemid=986

Top 10 Influential 2011: The rise and fall of LulzSec Computerworld Australia For example, LulzSec first came to attention on 30 May when, after been less than impressed by a Frontline documentary on whistle blower site WikiLeaks called “WikiSecrets”, decided to hack the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). … http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/409642/top_10_influential_2011_rise_fall_lulzsec/

Assange play to open in London Herald Sun A PLAY about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, already staged in Sydney, has been adapted for a British audience and will launch in the new year. Titled Stainless Steel Rat for its Sydney season in July, the production will open in London on January 10 … http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/assange-play-to-open-in-london/story-e6frf7jx-1226216777272

Corporations that help dictators track activists must be held accountable … IFEX Major software and surveillance companies are making billions by aiding dictators around the world as they arrest and even kill political opponents, according to a new WikiLeaks report called SpyFiles. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the … http://www.ifex.org/international/2011/12/07/spyleaks/

EU Parliament Seminar Looks At Risks Of Outsourcing Policing Of Internet Intellectual Property Watch (blog) McNamee referred back to the US case of Wikileaks in the US, where Visa, Mastercard, Paypal and Amazon all feared reputational damage from providing service to Wikileaks once it was accused by high level US politicians of being a terrorist organization … http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2011/12/08/eu-parliament-seminar-looks-at-risks-of-outsourcing-policing-of-internet/

Julian Assange Talks Asia Sentinel (blog) Peter Singer has accepted to discuss these views with Julian Assange, the co-founder and spokesman for Wikileaks. Their conversation has taken place via Skype – for Julian Assange is in residence at Ellingham Hall, in the Norfolk, deep in the English … http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4019&Itemid=164

High Court orders Director-General of CIO to justify claims Bulawayo24 The information was later published by WikiLeaks on the Internet. Yesterday, Justice Felistus Chatukuta deferred to December 21 an application by Maj Gen Bonyongwe for a default judgment against Mr Cranswick for want of justification of the amount … http://www.bulawayo24.com/index-id-news-sc-national-byo-9931-article-High+Court+orders+Director-General+of+CIO+to+justify+claims.html

DJIA: German, French Leaders Downplay Summit Expectations, Citigroup Begins … International Business Times Wikileaks announced via its Twitter account this afternoon that founder Julian Assange’s Supreme Court appeal application has been rushed forward to December 19. The Wikileaks founder is wanted for questioning in Sweden over accusations of rape and … http://tv.ibtimes.com/djia-german-french-leaders-downplay-summit-expectations-citigroup-begins-layoffs-julian-assange-appe/2672.html

Coverup Allegations Follow Deadly Mexico Casino Fire Wall Street Journal A US diplomatic cable written in 2009, and released this year by WikiLeaks, the document-leaking website, says that a prominent casino owner in Monterrey donated $2.5 million to the campaign of former PAN mayor Adalberto Madero. … http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204319004577084680795722056.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Indian Government v Social Networking sites: Expert Views Bar & Bench Amazon and Mastercard could arbitrarily stop providing services to Wikileaks, despite Wikileaks not having broken any law or terms of service. The IT Rules (regarding intermediary due diligence) of April 2011, on the other hand, go overboard and are … http://www.barandbench.com/brief/2/1891/indian-government-v-social-networking-sites-expert-views

Zimbabwe: Replacing Mugabe, a Zanu-PF nightmare The Africa Report Leaked WikiLeaks cables, which dominated political discourse earlier this year, are also not on the agenda. It was expected that Mugabe would use the occasion to crack the whip on party members that confided in American envoys that they wanted him out. … http://www.theafricareport.com/index.php/2011120750177012/politicians/zimbabwe-replacing-mugabe-a-zanu-pf-nightmare-50177012.html

Selling the ABC and other tricky media issues ABC Online Different segments of the population welcome Wikileaks revelations or ClimateGate emails but deplore the other. It seems that the profit motive imposes high costs of disorder. But what people overlook is that disorder is tempered by defamation laws, … http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/3720568.html

Eight reasons to hold off on Windows 8 ComputerworldUK But before you race to Windows 8, check out these 8 reasons why as a CIO, you shouldn’t: Wikileaks – fearless whistleblowers or irresponsible nuisances? Keep up to date with the latest developments. Read more 1. Devices have to catch up to OS … http://www.computerworlduk.com/advice/operating-systems/3323563/eight-reasons-to-hold-off-on-windows-8/

Saadi Gaddafi: Black sheep of the family National Post “His bisexuality is reportedly a point of extreme contention with his father,” wrote the US State Department in a 2009 diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks. Until he failed a drug test in 2006, Saadi was also given a prime spot on the Libyan National … http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/12/08/saadi-gaddafi-black-sheep-of-the-family/

War on Iran has already begun. Act before it threatens all of us The Guardian The latest International Atomic Energy Agency report once again failed to produce a smoking gun, despite the best efforts of its new director general, Yukiya Amano – described in a WikiLeaks cable as “solidly in the US court on every strategic … http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/dec/07/iran-war-already-begun

The almanac UPI.com … using copy overload and other tactics, brought down the Swedish government’s Web site for several hours and attacked a number of businesses, including Amazon.com and MasterCard, seen as “enemies” of WikiLeaks and its co-founder, Julian Assange, … http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2011/12/08/The-almanac/UPI-56031323333000/?spt=hs&or=on

Snow Falling on Smog: Is There Any Hope for Beijing’s Air? TIME (blog) In June 2009, after TIME reported on the air-quality monitor, the Chinese Foreign Ministry complained about the embassy’s public reporting of pollution data, according to this WikiLeaks cable. The Chinese officials said that by posting the data online, … http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2011/12/06/snow-falling-on-smog-is-there-any-hope-for-beijings-air/?iid=gs-main-mostpop1

Cellebrite Doesn’t Like WikiLeaks ‘Spy Files’ Claims By News Account Cellebrite, a developer and manufacturer of mobile forensic solutions, has rejected claims in the recent WikiLeaks “Spy Files” exposé that it is among companies that develop and supply equipment to governments and dictators “to spy on their … http://www.science20.com/news_articles/cellebrite_doesnt_wikileaks_spy_files_claims-85313

Did you have any idea? Video series in support of WikiLeaks and … By Cassie Findlay When I saw what Julian Assange and WikiLeaks achieved with the releases last year it gave me renewed excitement about my work – a kind of ‘jolt’ – back to the core principles of our profession – that without access to documentary evidence … http://recordkeepingroundtable.org/2011/12/08/did-you-have-any-idea-video-series-in-support-of-wikileaks-and-julian-assange/

Circle of 13: Wikileaks Shock: US troops assassinated children By noreply@blogger.com (Peacedream) “A people who would begin by burning fences and let the forest stand!” ~ Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) ” I would prefer not to” – Bartleby the Scrivener ~ Herman Melville (1819-1891) “The imagination is not a state: it is the human … http://circleof13.blogspot.com/2011/12/wikileaks-shock-us-troops-assassinated.html

The Complete Guantanamo Files: Wikileaks and the Prisoners … By Frank World Can’t Wait – Stop the Crimes of Your Government. http://www.worldcantwait.net/index.php/home-mainmenu-289/7491-the-complete-guantanamo-files-wikileaks-and-the-prisoners-released-in-2007

Some Secret Information Should Remain Secret – Advice Goddess … By Amy Alkon Earlier this year the American ambassador to Mexico, Carlos Pascual, was obliged to resign under Mexican pressure because his candid and quite correct cables to Washington released by WikiLeaks had observed that the Mexican army had … http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/12/08/some_secret_inf.html

Wikileaks Newslinks 7-8 December 2011 An image used by the hacker group Anonymous in its boycott of PayPal after the company’s cutting of funds to WikiLeaks. PayPal seems to be asking the Internet to declare December 4th an annual Boycott PayPal Day. Blogs, Twitter, and Facebook are … http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygreenberg/2011/12/06/on-the-anniversary-of-cutting-off-wikileaks-paypal-slaps-christmas-charity/

This Fake CIA Memo is a Vital Clue…to Something Wired News (blog) By Scott Thill No, you’re not looking at the latest secret document from WikiLeaks. The above “Central Intelligence Bulletin” was dreamed up and provided exclusively to Underwire to provide you with an enigmatic plot clue to an upcoming cultural event. … http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/12/leonid-pavel/

US House working on cyber security legislation YNN Hudson Valley In the age of Wikileaks and cyber warfare, the US House of Representatives is ramping up efforts to craft and pass legislation that will address one of the country’s greatest national threats: Cyber security. As our Washington Bureau reporter Erin … http://hudsonvalley.ynn.com/content/politics/566220/u-s—house-working-on-cyber-security-legislation

Gaps in the world wide open web Hindustan Times Last week at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said that China was ‘sucking out’ confidential emails of India’s premier investigative agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). … http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/ColumnsOthers/Gaps-in-the-world-wide-open-web/Article1-778724.aspx

How ISPs got caught up in the Internet wars iT News Keane draws on Wikileaks’ revelations of a thriving surveillance industry created by the private sector that is developing tools to completely erase privacy and track what people are doing online. “It is frightening and depressing to see that these … http://www.itnews.com.au/News/282427,how-isps-got-caught-up-in-the-internet-wars.aspx

Lucrative Surveillance Market Fed by Hunt for Dissidents Scoop.co.nz (press release) (RSF/IFEX) – 2 December 2011 – Reporters Without Borders reiterates its condemnation of the criminal cooperation between western hi-tech companies and authoritarian regimes, which is receiving renewed attention after the WikiLeaks website yesterday … http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1112/S00232/lucrative-surveillance-market-fed-by-hunt-for-dissidents.htm

Android exploit allows unauthorized app to record audio, take pictures, send SMS Geek.com If the Carrier IQ saga and Wikileaks spyware docs weren’t enough mobile insecurity for you, the hits keep coming. Scientists from NC State have identified an exploit in select Android phones that allows an app to get permissions to do nearly anything: … http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/android-exploit-allows-unauthorized-app-to-record-audio-take-pictures-send-sms-2011126/

Gaddafi’s Western friends Ynetnews WikiLeaks recently published that the French firm Amesys sold Libya a system which enabled it to spy on the emails of members of the Libyan opposition abroad. According to WikiLeaks, many other firms continue to sell spyware to dictatorships. … http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4158321,00.html

Syrian blogger Razan Ghazzawi arrested FRANCE 24 And Wikileaks releases its « spy files ». By Electron Libre According to the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, for which she works, the 30 year old was arrested crossing the Syrian-Jordanian border on her way to Amman where she was due … http://www.france24.com/en/20111205-2011-12-05-2049-wb-en-webnews

Movie to open window on young Melbourne hackers Herald Sun WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Picture: Lefteris Pitarakis Source: AP AWARD-winning Aussie director Robert Connolly is writing the script for a Channel 10 telemovie based on the teenage years of celebrity computer hacker Julian Assange. … http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/confidential/movie-to-open-window-on-young-melbourne-hackers/story-e6frf96x-1226215550946

Outrage Grows Over Air Pollution and China’s Response New York Times … a Chinese Foreign Ministry official, Wang Shu’ai, told American diplomats to halt the embassy’s air quality Twitter feed, saying that the data “is not only confusing but also insulting,” according to a State Department cable obtained by WikiLeaks. … http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/07/world/asia/beijing-journal-anger-grows-over-air-pollution-in-china.html

Science leads the fight for free speech New Scientist From WikiLeaks to phone hacking, the tension between openness, privacy and confidentiality has become one of the defining issues of our time. Scientists have unexpectedly found themselves at the heart of this debate, as the latest round of leaked … http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21228415.900-science-leads-the-fight-for-free-speech.html

Akpabio and the goldfish syndrome Vanguard A governor, whose people-focused leadership was recently described as “impressive” by Wikileaks, thus making him a man to watch, Akpabio has drawn a large-fan base national and internationally, owing to his unparalleled achievements. … http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/12/akpabio-and-the-goldfish-syndrome/

A Pair of Tantalizing Tales Berkeley Daily Planet And he has another startling story about the strange ex-general Steven Chu, now Energy Secretary, brought to Berkeley a couple of years ago, along with some Wikileaks cables he found about the general. http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2011-12-06/article/38965?headline=A-Pair-of-Tantalizing-Tales—

Dr Fawaz Akhras The Independent How unrest in Syria spilled over into the respectable streets of West London’ (4 November 2011) referred to a ‘classified 2008 cable from the then-US charge d’affaires to Damascus released by Wikileaks this year’. The cable named Dr Fawaz Akhras as a … http://www.independent.co.uk/news/corrections/dr-fawaz-akhras-6272991.html

France fingered as worse than China for cyber espionage V3.co.uk (blog) France conducts worse industrial espionage on some EU countries than Russia or China, the head of a German satellite company has been quoted as saying, in another WikiLeaks cable revelation. “France is the evil empire stealing technology, … http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/security-watchdog-blog/2130435/france-fingered-worse-china-cyber-espionage

Legal US gun sales to Mexico arming cartels CBS News That prompted a “sensitive” cable, uncovered by WikiLeaks, dated June 4, 2009, in which the US State Department asked Mexico “how the AR-15″ – meant only for the military or police – was “diverted” into criminal hands. And, more importantly, where the … http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500202_162-57337289/legal-u.s-gun-sales-to-mexico-arming-cartels/

Mugabe to push for Zimbabwe polls at party conference AFP Long-whispered rumours burst into the open with diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks, in which top ZANU-PF officials told American diplomats that Mugabe has prostate cancer that has spread through his body. Mugabe has made near monthly visits to … http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iJXIBSAI-G7hI1QUZJWWv5_qzuzg?docId=CNG.1cbd3704604831da551f6117364912ca.b1

Can Russia’s Communist Party Make A Comeback? Forbes Putin has been critical of Western NGOs and other election monitoring groups, like the website Golos, a Wikileaks for voter fraud. When Putin discussed Western interference, he likely had Golos on his mind. The site is partially funded by US and … http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2011/12/06/can-russias-communist-party-make-a-comeback/

Land of the Free? Citizens to Subjects Huffington Post WikiLeaks has been denied access to credit card networks and other electronic means of transmitting funds in exactly this way. Today, members of entire communities are being tracked 24/7/365 so as to devise a complete map of their social actions and … http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-brenner/land-of-the-free-citizens_b_1131469.html?ref=politics

Pakistan feared retaliation from India after 26/11. India Today Leaked US cables on WikiLeaks had earlier exposed how Pakistan had complained to the US that India was preparing for war after the 26/ 11 attacks and had mobilised forces on its border. In her recent book, No High Honours, then US secretary of state … http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/pakistan-shored-up-defence-after-26—11-terrorist-attacks/1/163150.html

Saudi Arabia may need nuclear weapons to fend off threat from Iran and Israel … Daily Mail US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks showed the kingdom’s leaders discreetly urging Washington to take stronger measures, including military action, against Iran. In June, a British newspaper quoted Turki as telling NATO officials that Saudi … http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2070704/Saudi-Arabia-need-nuclear-weapons-fend-threat-Iran-Israel-says-prince.html

Aussie director Robert Connolly working on Julian Assange movie script Digital Spy In October this year, WikiLeaks co-founder Assange announced that the whistleblowing website would be suspending all its publishing operations. More recently, the 40-year-old failed in his appeal against an extradition order from the UK to Sweden to … http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a354728/aussie-director-robert-connolly-working-on-julian-assange-movie-script.html

Mugabe endorsement a formality NewsDay No one can stand up to President Mugabe in Zanu PF, that is why they would much rather whisper in the deep and resort to WikiLeaks in the hope that he would never get to know what they feel about him. Even the celebrated Dr Eddison Zvobgo had to … http://www.newsday.co.zw/article/2011-12-06-mugabe-endorsement-a-formality/

Even the Colts can get 25000 people Sarasota Herald-Tribune (blog) “WikiLeaks wasn’t around 10 years ago. “I really don’t know where we’re going to go after this, but Bassett says he’s going to keep hitting it over and over again, and I suspect others will, too. At some point, somebody’s going to find that sweet spot … http://devoid.blogs.heraldtribune.com/12526/even-the-colts-can-get-25000-people-2/

Brit Marling compares upcoming films “The East” and “The Company You Keep” to … IFC And then when WikiLeaks happened, we were like, oh my god, this movie is so prescient. And then, you know, when Occupy Wall Street happened, we were like, this film needs to just enter the world already. I think that when you’re writing, you’re really … http://www.ifc.com/news/2011/12/brit-marling-the-east-robert-redford-occupy-wall-street-the-company-you-keep.php

North Korea Seen Advancing Work on ICBM Capable of Reaching US Global Security Newswire A February 2010 diplomatic dispatch leaked by the antisecrecy group WikiLeaks said the United States believes Pyongyang has three options for constructing intercontinental ballistic missiles. The first would make use of the existing long-range … http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20111206_4237.php

WikiLeaks Iraq War Logs: Every Death Mapped By The Huffington Post News Editors The Wikileaks Iraq war logs provide us with a unique picture of every death in Iraq. These are those events mapped using Google Fusion tables. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/06/wikileaks-iraq-war-logs-e_n_1131638.html

The Complete Guantánamo Files: WikiLeaks and the Prisoners … By Andy Worthington In late April, I worked with WikiLeaks as a media partner for the publication of thousands of pages of classified military documents — the Detainee Assessment Briefs — relating to almost all of the 779 prisoners held at Guantánamo since the … http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2011/12/06/the-complete-guantanamo-files-wikileaks-and-the-prisoners-released-in-2007-part-two-of-ten/

Julian Asange of Wikileaks wins legal lofeline over rape claim … December 6, WIKILEAKS chief Julian Assange yesterday won his last chance to avoid extradition to Sweden to face sex-crime allegations. Two High Court judges said he had raised an important legal issue and gave him 14 days to ask the … http://internationallawnews.posterous.com/julian-asange-of-wikileaks-wins-legal-lofelin

The Vatic Project: Revisiting My Silence on WikiLeaks By M. C. Bruecke A year or so ago I wrote a couple of pieces on the WikiLeaks case explaining my reluctance to form and communicate a conclusive opinion or reaction on this confusing intrigue. I encourage you to read my only two responses to the case here … http://vaticproject.blogspot.com/2011/12/revisiting-my-silence-on-wikileaks.html

WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange avoids extradition for now, wins right to … By Periscope Writer Julian Assange, founder of whistleblowing website WikiLeaks, has won the right to petition the UK Supreme Court in his fight against extradition to Sweden. Assange lost his High Court battle last month to be extradited over alleged sex … http://www.periscopepost.com/2011/12/wikileaks-julian-assange-avoids-extradition-for-now-wins-right-to-petition-uk-supreme-court/

Julian Assange on The New York Times: Part 5 | NYTimes eXaminer By admin A multipart interview with WikiLeaks Editor Julian Assange focusing on his experience collaborating with the New York Times. Produced for NYT eXaminer (NYTX). NYTX Editor Chris Spannos interviewed Julian Assange on September 26, … http://www.nytexaminer.com/2011/12/julian-assange-on-the-new-york-times-part-5/

Networked_Performance — Webcasts of Media Squares By jo The first block focused on an in-depth analysis of the evolving WikiLeaks-saga, while the second block examined the remarkable string of protests in the Mediterranean region. These discussions were interrupted at times by startling artistic … http://turbulence.org/blog/2011/12/06/webcasts-of-media-squares/

WikiLeaks’s Assange to Fight Extradition at U.K. Top Court … WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be able to ask the U.K. Supreme Court to block his extradition to Sweden on rape claims after a judge said the … http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-12-06/wikileaks-s-assange-to-fight-extradition-at-u-k-top-court.html